Animal traps in previous use, particularly those specifically adapted to capture rodents, have employed single tilting platforms and trapdoors. Since a rodent's back legs are its most powerful and its center of gravity is somewhat rearwardly located, in prior art traps a rodent can sometimes reverse its path after its front legs engage the trapdoor or start the platform to tilt. This partial activation of a trap and then reversal of rodent path causes the trap to deactivate and allows the rodent to escape.
Rodents are climbers and some would rather climb into something than enter on the same level. Therefore, a trap whose access opening is raised above the ground presents a more attractive opening for these rodents to investigate due to their climbing instincts. Additionally, rodents generally prefer to enter and advance along what appears to be a solid runway rather than one that is interrrupted or uneven.
It is, therefore, an important object of the present invention to provide an animal trap of the tilting platform type wherein the tilting of the platform is sudden and without warning to the animal, and escape is prevented.
It is also a general object of this invention to provide an animal trap as aforesaid that presents an animal access opening that is spaced above the ground or surrounding level.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide an animal trap as aforesaid that presents a level and uninterrupted platform adjacent the access opening in the trap for an animal to walk upon.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an animal trap as aforesaid wherein a storage compartment is adjacent the tilting platform and further wherein the tilting platform controls ingress into the trap and into the storage compartment.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an animal trap as aforesaid that automatically resets itself for continued trapping after the animal journeys into the storage compartment of the trap.
Finally, another object of this invention is to provide an animal trap as aforesaid that includes an adaptor communicating the opening of an animal burrow in the ground or in a wall with the access opening of the trap.